


Sheer Coincidence

by Skara_Brae



Series: Sheer Coincidence [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Prostitution, Light Bondage, M/M, Rating: NC17
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-06
Updated: 2012-12-06
Packaged: 2017-11-20 11:49:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/585105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skara_Brae/pseuds/Skara_Brae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel Milton is a tax attorney who doesn't get out much. Dean Winchester is a hardworking mechanic who needs money. Cue opening music...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Чистая случайность](https://archiveofourown.org/works/851941) by [Melarissa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melarissa/pseuds/Melarissa)



Castiel Milton took one surreptitious look around him, then pushed open the heavy wooden door to reveal the dimly lit bar within. He entered, slowly and took a seat at the polished bar. It had been years since he was in this place, and it still had that vaguely sleazy atmosphere to it. Balthazar had first introduced him to this place, a long time ago. He would no doubt be incredibly amused to learn that Cas was still as uncomfortable here as he was the first time. Luc would mock him endlessly, and Gabriel,… Well, Cas didn’t want to think about Gabriel now. 

“Buyers” sat at the bar. Everyone else sat at the tables, or stood.

Cas took a seat at the bar, and took a brief look at the men seated behind him. No one caught his eye. The bartender approached and he ordered a Martini. What was he doing here? He was wealthy, intelligent, and he knew he wasn’t physically repulsive. At least, women seemed to find him attractive. Men like him shouldn’t have to resort to paying for sex. But, it had been a really long time since his last relationship. He needed to get laid.

The door opened again when Cas was halfway through his second Martini. Almost every eye in the club turned to watch the newcomer enter. A young man, perhaps 28, 29. Cas felt his pulse quicken as he took in the young man’s appearance. His light brown hair was cut short and his green eyes were hard. His lips were full, and it was clear from the tight jeans and tee shirt that his body was hard. Cas was immediately interested. The jeans, he noticed, were ripped, and the man’s tee shirt was fraying a bit around the neck. He held his breath as the man approached the bar.

The young man ordered a beer, but he did not take a seat, just leaned against it. Okay, a clear sign. Cas seized the opportunity. 

“I’ll take care of that,” he said, flashing his wallet. The man turned to him with a practiced smile.

“Well, that’s mighty kind of you.”

Cas smiled. At least he knew the ground here.

The beer was placed in front of them, and Cas pulled some bills out of his wallet. Dropping them on the bar, he turned to his companion.

“Your name?”

“I’m Mike,” the man replied, taking a long pull of his beer.

“Michael,” Cas replied. “My name is James.”

No one used their real name in here. Everyone knew that. But Cas could not help the pang of guilt that he experienced. It wasn’t even at total lie. James was his middle name.

“Hey, Jimmy,” Mike replied, taking another swig of his beer.

Cas decided to cut to the chase. “So,” he asked, looking Michael up and down. “How much?”

Michael gave him a lascivious smile and returned the look. “Well, boss, that depends on what you want…” His face darkened for a moment. “Rubber’s not negotiable, though--“ 

“The works,” Cas replied immediately.

Michael smiled again, grabbed a napkin and produced a pen from his pocket. He scratched something on the napkin and passed it Cas.

Cas glanced at the number and raised his eyebrows. “For this much, I expect the whole night.” 

“The ‘works’ takes the whole night,” the other man replied, tilting his head and moving into Cas’s space. “I won’t shortchange you.”

There was no way to refuse that. 

“Finish your drink,” Cas ordered, and downed the rest of his Martini.

They headed outside.

Cas pulled his keys from his pocket and unlocked the car. “I have a room. Is that okay?”

Michael got into the car without a word. Cas put the car in gear and headed out. His hotel was only a few miles down the road. They drove in silence.

Michael let out a small laugh when they pulled into the hotel. Cas guessed he wasn’t expecting the Route 17 Holiday Inn.

“I’m in the back,” he said.

They went through the rear door. He had checked into the hotel earlier in the day, kicking himself the whole time. Ridiculous, checking into a hotel when he lived less than 30 minutes away. Now, he no longer cared. His entire body was thrumming with nervous energy. 

Once inside the room, Michael took charge, stripping out of his shirt immediately and advancing like an invading army. As he reached Cas, he gracefully sank to his knees.

“Well, Jimmy, let’s get started. What do you say?”

“Indeed,” Cas replied. 

Michael undid the button on Cas’s pants, and lowered them. He mouthed at Cas’s already interested cock through his underwear.

Cas groaned. It had been a while since anyone had touched him.

Michael slowly pulled down Cas’s boxers as well. “I see I have plenty to work with.” 

Cas frowned. He was about to tell Michael that he didn’t need any false compliments when the other man suddenly swallowed him down. Cas’s hand reflexively clenched in other man’s short hair. Michael made a satisfied noise in the back of his throat and began to move up and down. Cas’s jaw dropped open, the warm wetness of Michael’s mouth drove every thought from his head. Michael let out a heady moan as his tongue played with the slit of Cas’s cock. Cas gritted his teeth. He needed to get control of this situation quickly, or he was going to lose it. 

“That’s enough,” he said, gently pulling Michael off his cock. Michael went willingly, then began nosing through Cas’s pubic hair, lifting his eyes to the other man. He winked.  
Cas had to ignore the way his cock jerked at that. “You are wearing too many clothes,” he growled.

Michael rose to his feet. Slowly, he removed his shoes, socks, and undid his belt, watching Cas the entire time. He pulled down the zipper of his tight jeans.

Cas knew this game. He sat on the bed, and folded his arms. He watched as Michael pulled off his jeans and underwear. He stood there, naked, and stroked his hand over his cock, already hard and curving towards his flat belly.

Michael raised his eyebrows. “You want watch me get off?”

“No,” Cas said. He wanted to make this other man squirm a bit. 

“Okay,” Michael said uncertainly. His hand fell to his side. He remained motionless in front of Cas.

Cas took his time, concentrating first on the other man’s thick, muscular thighs, then upwards to his flat stomach and well defined chest. It was adorned with a sunburst tattoo with a star in the center. Michael’s nipples stood out in the cool of the room. Finally, Cas moved his gaze up to the man’s face, which was twisted with confusion.

He raised a finger and twirled it. “Turn around.”

Michael turned, revealing his high, tight ass and his taut back.

Cas stared for another moment, then stood, then swept his hand in a long, slow stroke down Michael’s back. Michael shuddered.

“On the bed, on your knees,” Cas ordered.

Michael complied quickly, crawling onto his hands and knees. Cas took several long moments just to appreciate the lean body on display in front of him. He ran his hands down Michael’s back, and lightly squeezed his buttocks.

“Stay there,” he intoned and moved to his overnight bag for lube and a condom. He set them on the bed beside Michael’s knee.

He opened the tube and wet two fingers. Stroking his other hand slowly down Michael’s back, he pressed his fingers to the entrance.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Yeah.” 

Cas took his time opening the other man up. He enjoyed the slick slide of his fingers and hearing the other man’s light groans.

“I’m ready.” Michael said a trifle impatiently a few moments later.

“But I’m not.” Two fingers became three. Michael was now breathing heavily. His groans and gasps just urged Cas on.

Finally, Cas pulled his fingers out. As Michael turned his head to watch, Cas rolled the condom onto himself and lined up. He pushed in slowly. At first, he was overwhelmed by the hot, tight pressure. His head rocked back, as he pushed his hips forward. He felt, more than heard, the other man exhale. Yes, Yes! Once he was all the way in, he paused, and clenched his hands on Michaels hips.

“Come on, man,” came a complaining voice from below him.

Cas smiled, reached a hand to the other man’s shoulder and pulled him upright. Michael’s back was pressed to his chest. He leaned down and bit Michael’s shoulder gently. He began to gently move his hips back and forth, slowly rocking into Michael. He reached around and grasped Michael’s cock, slowly stroking it in time with his movements.

Michael moaned, his head fell back against Cas’s shoulder. They kept this rhythm for a long while, each clearly trying to outlast the other. Sweat coated them both, dripping from Michael’s hair down Cas’s back and chest, adding to the friction as they moved together. Cas felt the climax building in him more and more, until, unable to resist it, Cas bit down hard on Michael’s shoulder. 

“Oh, fuck,” Michael gasped and came all over Cas’s hand.

Cas growled, and roughly pushed Michael down to the bed. Michael landed on his forearms, still moaning as Cas took a firm grip of his hips and thrust forcefully.

After 4 strokes, He pressed his face between Michael’s shoulder blades and shuddered. He slumped forward onto Michael’s back.

Slowly, their breaths evened out. Cas became aware of noise filtering in from outside. He heard cars pulling into the parking lot, and people walking down the hallway. After a moment, he rolled away, stripping off the condom and tossing it to the floor.

They lay there in silence for a moment, when suddenly Michael said, “Round One.”

Cas laughed.

***

Cas woke early the next morning. He slipped out of bed quietly and retrieved the receipt that had been slipped under the door during the night. He felt a small pang of guilt as he read his real name on the slip. He tucked the receipt into the overnight bag and crawled back into bed. Michael still slept deeply; he hadn’t even stirred when Cas left the bed. Cas pulled him into his arms. “Ready for Round 3?”

***

Much later, Cas woke to the sound of the shower. He stretched and dressed quickly. He felt invigorated. It had been far too long since he had felt this good. Michael emerged from the bathroom and saw Cas waiting.

“Morning.”

“Good Morning,” Cas replied. “I need to get going. Did you need a ride back to the bar?”

“Uh, no, I am okay. Was thinking of hitting up the breakfast bar.”

“Help yourself.” Cas pulled out his wallet, counting out the bills on the nightstand. He stopped and hesitated. “Michael, would you perhaps be interested in doing this again? This weekend, perhaps? The whole weekend.” 

Michael hesitated. Then he grabbed a pen and scribbled a figure on the hotel stationary. He handed it to Cas, “For this, I can be yours the entire weekend…” He broke off, clearly hesitating, and then added the piece de resistance. “And I’ll do anything you want.”

Cas glanced at the number, then pulled out another handful of bills from his wallet. It was a significant amount, probably ridiculous, but Cas couldn’t deny himself. Not with this man standing in front in him. “I’ll do anything you want” echoed in his head. He already had a few ideas. He handed the stack of bills to Michael. “Give me your cell phone number. I will text you an address to be at on Friday night. The extra money should cover your transportation costs.”

The other man smiled, “You got it, boss.” He scribbled down a number then turned and headed out the door.

Cas smiled. He suddenly had a lot more to look forward to this weekend.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The weekend...

Two days later, Dean’s stomach still twisted every time he thought the coming weekend, and what he had told Jimmy. “I’ll do whatever you want,” echoed like a refrain in his head. Sure, the guy didn’t seem like a freak, but why even throw that out there? He knew the answer. He needed to sell it. That much money…He needed it too badly. He was counting on Jimmy coming through. 

He jumped every time his phone beeped over the next two days. Once Jimmy’s text was received, he felt a thrill of nerves, and maybe a twinge of anticipation. He was being ridiculous. It was just a job, after all. A very well paying job, certainly, and with a very attractive man. But still, a job. 

Sam gave him a strange look when he said he was going away for the weekend.

“A friend of Ash’s has a mechanic gig for me – older car, needs a lot of work pronto.”  
Sam quirked his eyebrows at him, but thankfully only said, “Okay…” and returned to the pile of work he had brought home.

The address Jimmy sent him was up in Stinson Beach, about an hour north of the house in Palo Alto. Jimmy had given him enough extra for a cab all the way there, but Dean decided to take the bus. That would save him some cash, and he needed every penny. Once he arrived at the Marin City Bus Depot, he grabbed a cab and gave the driver the address. His stomach was full out churning now. He clenched his hands against his thighs repeatedly, tightening them then forcibly relaxing them.

The cab pulled up to the gate of a gated condo community that fronted the ocean. The sun was just setting, and cast a golden haze over the wrought iron gates. 

“Condo number?” a voice from the intercom asked. 

The cab driver turned to Dean.

As Dean pulled his phone out of his pocket, it slipped out of his damp hands and fell to the floor. He gave a muffled curse as he searched for it.

“Uh, um, 254,” he stuttered, finally getting the phone open and checking the text.

“Please pull around to the right,” the voice replied politely while the gates slowly opened.  
When the cab pulled up to the building, Dean paid the cabbie and pulled his duffle bag out of the back.

“Good luck, dude.” The cabbie gave him a significant look. Dean figured he looked like he needed it. 

Throwing the bag over his shoulder, he headed down a long, winding pathway, lined with old-fashioned lights, and up the steps. The stairs and walkways were all freshly painted, not a chip could be seen. The pristine appearance reminded him his porch needed to be painted soon. He forced the thought out of his mind. 

He made his way to #254 then stopped for a long moment. Dean could smell the honeysuckle and fresh mulch from the bushes around the building. He took a deep breath, then another. In the distance, he could hear crashing ocean waves. He stood in front of the door until he heard footsteps down below. He looked down and saw a security guard patrolling the courtyard. He jammed his finger into the doorbell quickly. Jimmy opened the door a minute later. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a cotton tee shirt. He looked even better than Dean had remembered.

“Michael.” His eyes actually looked soft. “Please come in. Have you had dinner?”

He stepped aside and let Dean in. Dean took a long look around. The front entrance was large, and had a freaking chandelier hanging in it. He realized Jimmy was still waiting for his answer.

“Oh. yeah, I ate before I came.” 

“How about a drink?”

“That would be great, thanks.” 

“A beer?”

“That’s fine.” Dean followed the other man into the kitchen, passing a huge fresh flower arrangement in the hallway.

“Nice place.”

“Thank you.” Jimmy hesitated, and then seemed to decide against saying more. He opened the fridge and seemed to be taken aback. Dean moved behind him and looked in the fridge. Holy crap, it was stuffed. He and Sam could eat like kings for a week on this stuff. There were three different types of beer.

“I’ll take a Sam Adams,” Dean said helpfully. Jimmy appeared relieved as he handed the beer to Dean. 

Jimmy had to try three different drawers until he found a bottle opener. Dean declined a glass and followed the other man into the living room. He walked over to the huge windows. The moon was full and reflected a path out on the ocean. He whistled softly. “Nice.”

He turned back and found the other man staring at him. Jimmy’s eyes didn’t move towards the windows at all, “Yes.”

Dean’s throat went dry. He took a swig of his beer. “Well, you wanna get started?”

Jimmy took a few steps closer to Dean. “I believe you said ‘whatever I wanted.’”

Dean forced himself to smile. “That’s what I said.”

Jimmy’s pupils grew dark. “Well, in that case, I think I’d like to tie you up.” 

Dean swallowed hard.

Jimmy led Dean upstairs to the master bedroom. Despite his nerves, Dean was impressed by the size of the bed. Huge, it had to be a King, with an ornate, carved headboard. 

“Clothes off,” Jimmy said. He crossed the room and began to look through a leather bag on the floor.

Dean obeyed automatically. He pulled his shirt over his head, toed off his shoes and pulled down his jeans and underwear. He was leaning over, one arm on a chair, to pull off his socks when he heard Jimmy behind him. 

“Hands behind your back.” 

Dean obeyed immediately, and felt his wrists being bound together. He bit the inside of his cheek, hard. He could suddenly feel his heart beating.

“Turn around. On your knees.”

The carpet felt soft and plush on his knees. He looked up, and realized that Jimmy was still fully dressed.

Jimmy stared at Dean for a long moment, then quickly unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans and pulled his cock out. He was already hard. He stepped closer and Dean opened his mouth without being told. The tip slipped into Dean’s mouth and Dean sucked hard, keeping his eyes glued to Jimmy’s face. He remembered the night in the hotel, this man’s musky scent, and the small sounds he made as Dean sucked him. 

Jimmy’s eyes closed and he groaned. He wrapped a hand around the back of Dean’s head and pulled him gently forward, feeding more of his cock into Dean’s mouth. He then pulled back and snapped his hips forward again. Dean curled his toes into the carpet, tired to relax his throat as much as possible, and let Jimmy fuck his face. This, he could do. 

He closed his eyes and unbidden memories came into his head. He felt the wind biting through his jacket, knees aching from the hard pavement, eyes watering from the cold and the rough treatment. His whole body jerked in revolt, and amazingly, it was his bound hands that brought him back to the present. 

Jimmy was close, he could tell. His thrusts were becoming faster. The fingers of one hand gripped Dean’s hair. Suddenly, he pulled out of Dean’s mouth and, using his other hand, he pumped himself rapidly until he was crying out and coming all over Dean’s face. Dean forced himself not to recoil, and made his eyes stay open.

When it was over, Jimmy sighed and looked down at Dean’s face. His eyes were glazed. He gently brushed his hand over Dean’s face and smiled. He gestured for Dean to get up off his knees, and helped to steady him with a hand under his arm. Dean swallowed down the indignation of having come dribble down his face. Not that he minded facials in general, but he had never had his hands tied like this before. 

Jimmy motioned Dean over to the bed, and had him sit on it, hands still tied behind him, then disappeared into what Dean assumed was a bathroom. Dean noticed that he still had one freaking sock on, and used his other foot to pull it off. He laid back on the bed, the duvet felt silky soft and cool against his heated skin. He hadn’t gotten hard at all, and he hoped Jimmy wouldn’t notice.

He heard Jimmy reenter the room and felt the bed dip beside him. He felt a warm, wet cloth being dragged across his face. He closed his eyes, and let the other man tenderly wash his face. 

After he was done, Jimmy tossed the cloth to the side, leaned down and whispered into Dean’s ear, “Let’s get ready for Round Two.”

***

A half hour later, Dean could barely form a coherent thought. He was in the center of the bed, trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey. Apparently the ornately carved headboard was not just for looks; his hands had been tied above his head to it with fine leather straps. His legs were spread and stretched high, leather bands looped under his knees and around his ankles. He was completely helpless and held open to Jimmy’s ministrations.

Jimmy was lying naked on his side next to Dean, leaning on one hand while the other ran slowly, idly, over Dean’s bound body. The light pressure of his fingers on Dean’s skin felt wonderful. It was strange for Dean to be in this position, being touched but unable to touch in return. He fought to keep his eyes open, unsure of what was coming next. 

“I love having you like this,” Jimmy purred. “Tied up at my mercy. All you can do is receive pleasure from me. And I can find out what pleasure you like best. Can you tell me?”

Dean could only moan in reply. Jimmy leaned forward and captured his nipple in his mouth. He suckled on it for a long moment, then pulled away and lightly blew on it. It pebbled immediately, and Dean let out a small gasp. He tired to move, the leather straps digging into his hands and under his knees. The abortive movement only drove home how helpless he was.  
The soft blanket underneath him was already damp with his sweat, sticking to his back as he tried to move. Jimmy moved his fingers down to Dean’s abdomen, but carefully avoiding his now hard cock.

Jimmy sat up and ran his fingers down both of Dean’s thighs, and then gently massaged the area under his knees where the bands were holding him. This small act of tenderness was so unlike what Dean was used to, it caused him to squirm again. 

“Dude,” he groaned. “You’re killing me here.”

“I’m not killing you,” Jimmy chided with a smile. “I am pleasing you, Michael. I know that.”  
The wrong name jarred Dean a bit, but Jimmy’s next action drove all thought from his head. He finally touched Dean’s cock, and began to slowly stroke it.

“I am going to give you a choice,” Jimmy went on. “I can make you come before I fuck you. Or after. Or during. Which one would you like, Michael? You have to make a choice.” With that, he reached down, carefully brushing his stubbled chin against Dean’s leg and lightly bit the inside of his thigh. 

Dean barely kept his eyes from crossing. “During,” he ground out. “But you better hurry or…I’m going to miss the party.”

Jimmy immediately rolled over to the nightstand. Dean felt the loss of his body heat immediately and shivered. Jimmy returned, cock hard again and curving up towards his flat stomach. He knelt between Dean’s bent legs. Dean watched as Jimmy shifted his hips up and shoved a pillow beneath them. Dean stared at the ceiling as he heard Jimmy rustle with what he assumed was lube and a condom. He felt a finger slowly circle his entrance, and couldn’t help the groan that escaped his lips.

Jimmy prepped him thoroughly, first slowly pushing one wet finger inside of him, then another. Dean was used to rushing through this part. Now he was forced to just feel, and he was surprised to find himself enjoying this, too. The slow steady way Jimmy’s slender fingers worked him, the way he varied the speed, sometimes pushing his fingers in fast, and pulling them out slowly, other times doing the opposite. Sometime catching his fingers on the ring of sensitive muscle outside, other times slowly prodding Dean’s prostate. Dean lost track of time.

Jimmy took his time, occasionally running a hand up and down his legs as he squirmed, stopping to massage his quads occasionally. Dean felt like screaming, and, strangely, also felt like he might burst into tears at any moment. 

“Now, please, please now,” he begged. He jerked as Jimmy hit his prostate just right, and heard the headboard creaking behind him. He lifted his head to meet Jimmy’s eyes.

Jimmy nodded and removed his fingers. Dean gave a slight whimper as he did. Jimmy reached for a condom that was lying on the bed and ripped it open with shaky hands. Dean forced himself to look away, stared at the ceiling, and took some deep breaths. He could barely hear them over the blood rushing in his ears. He squirmed again, and felt Jimmy put a hand on his knee.

“Michael, look at me.”

Dean raised his head. Jimmy was kneeling between Dean’s legs, and he wrapped his arms around Dean’s thighs, lining himself up. Their eyes met. 

Dean felt the head of Jimmy’s cock against him. Eyes still locked, Jimmy pushed forward. Dean made a broken sound and tried to pull him in deeper. He jerked against the bonds. There was no way that he could move in this position. He couldn’t urge Jimmy on by wrapping his legs around his hips, or by pressing himself up against him. 

Jimmy finally started to move, his hips pushing forward again and again. Dean arched his back. Sweat trickled down the side of his face.

He twisted again, forcing Jimmy to tighten his grip on Dean’s hips.

“Relax,” Jimmy growled, and Dean noticed his voice had gotten lower. “I’m going to take of you. I won’t hurt you. Do you trust me?”

Dean lifted his head again, and met the other man’s eyes. How could he answer? He didn’t know. Jimmy leaned forward and placed a small kiss on the side of Dean’s knee. With that, Dean finally stopped fighting. He felt Jimmy start to move again. Dean closed his eyes and concentrated on the feeling of Jimmy’s cock thrusting in and out of him. He relaxed, calm for the first time in a long time.

Jimmy began to move faster, snapping his hips with more force. He reached down with one hand and wrapped it around Dean’s cock, stroking it in time with his thrusts. Dean moaned. He could hear the headboard bang against the wall. Jimmy dug his fingers hard into the muscles of Dean’s thigh. This slight pain tipped Dean over the edge. His eyes rolled back, and he came all over his stomach.

He distantly heard Jimmy above him. He could vaguely make out the words, “Oh, God…Michael… Good. So good” then a shout of completion, and felt his heavy weight fall on him. His come smeared on both their stomachs. Dean couldn’t do anything but drift, his mind numb.  
When he came back to himself, Jimmy was hastily tugging the bonds.

As soon as his hands were free, Dean grabbed Jimmy and rolled over on top of him. He pressed his lips against the other man’s and kissed him deeply. He kissed Jimmy again and again, reaching a hand up to tangle his hair. Jimmy growled and kissed him back, hard. 

After a few moments, Jimmy rolled Dean over again, getting them both out of the wet spot. He urged Dean over, then pulled back the blanket and sheet and tucked them both underneath it. Dean fell asleep almost as soon as his head reached the pillow.

***

When Dean woke up, sunlight was streaming in the windows, and he was alone in the bedroom. Dean cringed inwardly as he remembered the events of the previous night. He had never expected to react like that to being tied up. He had begged, and then he had kissed the guy. He had crossed all the lines he had set for himself. What would Jimmy expect of him now? He got out of bed and noticed that his duffle had been brought up to the room. He pushed the questions out of his head and headed to the shower. 

After dressing, Dean headed out into the main room. It was time to face the music. He found Jimmy sitting at the breakfast bar, reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee. Jimmy looked up when he heard Dean enter.

“Michael,” he said, smiling warmly. “I hope that you slept well.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“There’s coffee, and some pastries. Please help yourself.”

“Thanks.” Dean allowed himself a moment of relief that Jimmy wasn’t upset about the kissing last night. He headed to the coffee maker. 

“Uhhh…”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Jimmy jumped to his feet. “I forget that the machine here is a bit…different.”

He showed Dean a basket of little plastic tubs and how to insert one of them into the machine.

“Then you push this button,” he explained. The machine whirred and coffee began to pour into Dean’s cup.

“Thanks,” Dean said, a bit embarrassed. 

“It’s nothing”. Jimmy turned and put his cup into the sink. “I am afraid I have some work to do this morning. I hope you can find something to entertain yourself with. I am told the TV has all the channels.” 

Dean took a sip of his fancy, fresh-brewed coffee. He could taste cinnamon in it. “I’m sure I can find something to do.”

“Thank you.” Jimmy smiled at him again, then took his coffee and headed down the hallway to what was presumably an office. Dean wondered what he was thanking him for; he had just given him permission to goof off all morning. He sat down and looked over the breakfast offerings. The muffins smelled delicious and clearly had been freshly baked. They must have been delivered. He counted several different types: blueberry, corn, what looked to be cranberry, even chocolate chip. He bit into one and groaned. It melted in his mouth.

He took the rest of the muffin and his coffee and padded across the hardwood floor to the living room. The view was even better in the daylight, a wide empty beach with crashing waves.

What to do? The condo complex, despite being right on the ocean, had an Olympic sized swimming pool. Dean had not brought a bathing suit, but he had a pair of athletic shorts in his duffle that would work in a pinch. He spent the morning by the pool, swimming and ignoring the obvious come-ons of some of the women from the other condos that came out to “sunbathe”. 

Around 11:30, he headed back to the condo in search of lunch. Jimmy was not in the main room; Dean supposed that he was still hard at work in the office. He made himself a sandwich and helped himself to a bottle of beer. 

By 12:30, Jimmy still had not emerged, so Dean made another sandwich, took a quick look through the pantry and headed down the hall. He knocked on the office door and slowly pushed it open.  
Jimmy looked up from his laptop and smiled when Dean entered.

“I thought you might like some lunch,” Dean said. 

“That is very thoughtful of you.”

Dean set the sandwich down on the desk, along with a bag of chips he had found. ”I wasn’t sure what you wanted to drink. Soda, beer, or would you prefer a Martini?” 

Jimmy sat back. “Can you make a Martini?” 

“Sure. Bartended for a while a ways back.”

“Are you sure it would be up to my standards?” Jimmy raised his eyebrows.

Dean knew a challenge when he heard it. “Be right back.” He headed back to the kitchen. He mixed the drink, carried it back to the office and set it down on the desk. “Try me.”

Jimmy took a sip. “Excellent. Thank you, Michael.”

Dean thought for a minute. He had goofed off all morning, he might as well give this guy his money’s worth. Plus, after all the submission last night, he kind of wanted to take charge again. “You want anything else?”

“Not that I can think of.”

“Are you sure?” Dean gave him a wicked smile and then dropped to his knees. He slowly moved in between Jimmy’s legs, running his hands over the other man’s thighs. He raised his eyes to Jimmy’s face. “Nothing else?” 

***

Dean was sprawled on the couch watching a college football game on the TV when Jimmy finally came out of the office that afternoon. 

“Geez,” Dean said, sitting up as he muted the TV. “Do you normally work these kinds of hours on a Saturday?”

“Lately, yes. Work has been rather busy.” Jimmy walked over and sat next to Dean on the couch.

“Well, I guess that’s a good thing.”

“Yes.”

An awkward silence fell over them both. 

Dean decided to take charge again. “Well, is there anything you want to do now?” 

“I was thinking of taking a walk on the beach. I have never done it before, I am here so rarely.”

“Dude,” Dean smiled. “That’s a crime. This place is awesome.”

“Would you like to join me? Or did you want to finish your game?”

Dean turned the TV off and stood up. “No way. KU is going to get massacred anyway. Let’s go.”

They headed out, down the private walkway to the beach. The air was cooling, and a light breeze caressed them, but there was no need for jackets yet. The beach was almost deserted, just a couple walking a dog further down. Dean and Jimmy walked in silence for a few minutes; the only sounds were the crashing of the waves, the calls of the seabirds, and occasionally, a bark from the dog.

Jimmy asked, “Are you a big football fan, or just a fan of KU?”

“Uh, not a big fan. I tend to root for them since I grew up in Kansas. In Lawrence, actually.”

Jimmy raised his eyebrows. “Must be a bit different from here.”

Dean laughed. “Yeah, none of this in Kansas.” He gestured to the ocean. “We used to think going to the old swimming hole was exciting.”

Jimmy smiled. His hair had become mussed by the wind. A few strands were falling over his forehead. “You liked to swim?”

“Oh, yeah. We used to go all the time in the summer, until my br-- friend broke his wrist jumping from a tree into the water. After that, all our swimming was at the local Y.” Dean paused, searching for something else to say. “The pool here is great. I used it this morning.”

“I am glad someone is getting some use out of it. Do you get to swim often now?”

“No. Hardly ever.”

“You must work out.” Jimmy gave him a smile

“Well, my job is kind of physically demanding.” Dean stopped. Crap, had he really just said that? He had been referring to his job at the garage, but of course Jimmy would think he was talking about…He felt his face grow hot. He hurried on. “You, you must work out, too.”

Jimmy nodded. “Well, I try to run every morning.”

Relief coursed through Dean at the subject change. He pounced on it.

“You run, really?” Brilliant conversation, he thought to himself. “Do you do marathons and everything?”

“I have run a few in the past, but nothing recently. I’ve been a bit busy with work. But I still try to run every day. I find it helps clear my head.” They walked on for a few minutes.

Suddenly, Jimmy turned to Dean and asked, “What made you decide to leave Kansas and come to California?”

“Uh.” Dean suddenly became fascinated with a stone on the sand. He picked it up, turned away from the other man and hurled it into the ocean. “Ah…Just needed a change, I guess.”

This wasn’t really an answer, and when he turned back, Jimmy was giving him a pointed look but didn’t push.

Dean tried to change the subject again. “So did you run this morning?”

“Yes. About 5 miles, I think.”

He must have slept later than he thought. Dean was struck by something. “Wait, you ran this morning, but you didn’t run on the beach.”

It seemed like Jimmy had never considered this. “No, I ran on the road.”

Dean laughed. “So you have this place,” he waved his arms around, “with this in your backyard, and you ran on the road. Dude.”

Jimmy joined in his laughter. Dean felt unaccountably warmed by it.

“I guess I never thought about it.”

Somehow, after that, the conversation became easier. They walked for a long time, talking. Dean felt that something had shifted between them, like they were just two guys, friends even, taking a walk, rather than…what they were. Jimmy talked a bit about growing up in the area, and how he had broken his wrist when he was 12.

“You broke your wrist skiing?”

“Yes.” Jimmy actually blushed, like he was embarrassed, even after all this time. “My older brother challenged me to a race and I couldn’t let him win. It was rather foolish of me.” He looked back down the beach. The condo complex was a distant figure. “I guess we better head back.”

Dean suddenly felt playful. “Sure. Wanna race me?”

“What?” Jimmy looked bewildered.

“Come on. Can you back down from a challenge now?” Dean gave him a wicked smile and took off.  
He glanced back to see Jimmy following him, so he turned around and sped up. Jimmy caught up with him quickly. They were both barefoot and wearing jeans, not the best for running on sand, but they were back at the condo quickly. 

Dean stopped where they had left their shoes and was unprepared for Jimmy crashing into him from behind. Laughing, they both collapsed in a heap on the sand. As they sat up, Jimmy said, “I win,” in such a definitive tone that Dean started laughing again. 

“See you’re still foolish--” 

Jimmy suddenly leaned over and placed his lips over Dean’s. It quickly morphed into a wet, messy kiss. They continued, sitting there on the sand, exchanging kisses until Dean’s stomach growled, loudly.

Jimmy pulled back with a laugh. He got up and extended a hand to Dean. “Let’s get you some dinner.”

They ordered a pizza from a place up the road and ate it in front of the TV. KU had lost, no surprise there, and Dean flipped through the rest of the channels aimlessly. Once they were done, Dean declared that they had to try out the Jacuzzi. He made Jimmy another Martini and they headed out to the balcony off the master bedroom. The Jacuzzi glowed invitingly under the lights. As Jimmy searched for the switch for the jets, Dean pulled off his shirt and dropped in to the floor. He looked around. The balcony was semi-private, and it was likely that no one was on the beach, anyway. He shimmied out of his jeans, and was about to pull of his underwear as well, when the jets bubbled to life, and Jimmy reentered the balcony, wearing swimming trucks. 

“I found it. It was-- Oh, I…”

Dean smirked as he slipped out of his underwear and tossed them at Jimmy’s head. “Come on, there’s nothing like skinny dipping.” He stepped into the tub. The hot water was a delicious contrast to the cool night air.

Jimmy appeared to consider this. Dean stretched his arms out and gripped the sides of the tub. “Come on, I’m waiting. Do I have to dare you?” He raised his eyebrows.

Jimmy glared at him, then stripped out of his trunks and hastily got in. 

“That’s my boy. I can’t believe you have never come out here.”

“I have never had a reason to. I guess I never had anyone to share it with.” Jimmy sounded a bit wistful. 

Dean moved closer to him, making sure his thigh brushed against the other man. “Well, let’s make this time special.” 

Jimmy responded by pulling Dean into another long kiss. Dean groaned and wrapped his arms around the other man. He was feeling a bit wistful himself. This had been the best day he had had in a while. He spent so much time working, and Sam spent so much time working. It had been a long time since he had just being able to talk with someone about stupid stuff like football and broken wrists and running on the beach. He reached up and ran his fingers through Jimmy’s hair, pulling back slightly to look into his eyes. Without breaking eye contact, he crawled into Jimmy’s lap, knees on either side of his hips. Above the hum of the jets, Dean could barely make out the ocean waves. Jimmy wrapped his arms around Dean’s waist. Dean closed his eyes and leaned in. All the touching felt great. Dean couldn’t remember the last time he had been held by someone. 

They made out for a long while, until their fingers and toes had become wrinkled. 

Dean got out of the tub and took Jimmy by the hand and led him back to the master bedroom. They fell on the bed, both still soaking wet. Dean wondered if he should ask if Jimmy wanted to break out the bondage stuff again, but after a few moments of gropes and increasingly frantic kisses, Jimmy fumbled into the nightstand for the condoms and lube. Dean was nudged over on to his stomach. Okay then, if this was how Jimmy wanted it. He got up to his hands and knees and groaned as he felt two of Jimmy’s fingers in his ass. He looked back over his shoulder to meet the other man’s eyes. 

He wiggled his hips a bit. “Hurry up back there.”

Jimmy pulled out his fingers and rolled a condom over his cock. He carefully lubed himself up, watching Dean as his hand stoking over his cock slowly. 

Dean groaned.”Now you’re just teasing me.”

“I would never do such a thing.” Jimmy finally gripped Dean’s hips and lined himself up. Dean arched his back as Jimmy thrust forward. He leaned over Dean’s back and wrapped a hand around Dean’s cock.

Jimmy drove into him hard. Dean felt Jimmy’s balls slapping against his own, and the hand tugging at his cock was relentless. He heard the other man’s breathy moans in time with his own. 

It was over rather quickly, Dean coming from Jimmy’s ministrations, and the tightening of his inner muscles was all it took for the Jimmy to gasp and go still behind Dean. Jimmy’s hands gripped Dean’s hips hard enough to bruise as he spilled himself. 

They both collapsed back on the bed. After a minute, Jimmy pulled away to get rid of the condom. When he rolled back, Dean reached out and pulled him into another kiss. After exchanging lazy kisses for a few moments, Dean wiped them off with the edge of the sheet. Jimmy surprised Dean by wrapping his arms around him, and pulling Dean’s head down to rest against his own shoulder. Dean’s throat closed at this simple gesture. He squeezed his eyes shut and wrapped an arm around Jimmy’s slim waist. 

They were both asleep in minutes. 

***

Dean woke on Sunday, still lying in Jimmy’s arms. For a few minutes, he let himself enjoy the warmth of another person next to him. Jimmy stirred, and opened his eyes.

“What time is it?” he asked, rubbing his eyes

“Uh.” Dean lifted his head to see the clock. “Around 10.”

Jimmy grinned. “I haven’t slept this late in years.”

Dean smiled back at him.“No run for you this morning.”

Jimmy rolled on top of him. “Maybe you can help me get my exercise then.”

He slotted their hips together, and moved on top of him just right, so their cocks were rubbing up against each other. Dean groaned, reached up and managed to get his hand around both of them.  
They got off just like that, rubbing against each other, making a sticky mess of both themselves and the sheets. Jimmy collapsed on Dean and gently kissed his collarbone. They didn’t get up until much later.

Most of the morning was spent on the couch. Dean explained the finer points of football and why college was superior to the NFL while a game played in the background.

Sometime just after lunch, Jimmy announced that he had to get back. Dean’s stomach clenched suddenly. It wasn’t like he thought this would last…but he didn’t expect it to be over so soon. 

He went upstairs to pack his bag, and when he came back, Jimmy was counting out the money he owed Dean.

“I called you a taxi,” he said, handing Dean the money. “Thank you, Michael, for a truly enjoyable weekend.”

Dean had to stop himself from telling his real name. “Thanks, man.”

They hesitated for a moment. Jimmy seemed about to say something else, but the honking of a car horn outside distracted him. The cab had arrived. Dean shouldered his duffle and headed out the door. He glanced back once more before getting into the cab. 

“Hi. Just to the bus station.”

“Dispatch said all the way to Palo Alto, man. Charged to a card on file. But, if you just want the bus station, it’s up to you.”

“Okay, then. Palo Alto it is.” Dean sat back and closed his eyes for the rest of the trip. He told himself he had the money, so he could relax, but he kept thinking back to that morning, to waking up in someone’s arms and how good it had felt. How much he wanted to do that again. He mentally shook himself. This wasn’t going to work…

When the cab pulled up to the small house in Palo Alto, Dean took a deep breath and headed in. He found Sam waiting for him at the kitchen table, his expression clearly upset. Dean held up a hand, trying to ward him off, but Sam steamrolled right ahead.

“Dean, when were you going to tell me about this?”

Dean automatically grabbed at the wad of cash in his pocket, his stomach clenching. He forced himself to casually hang his keys on the hook. “About what?” 

“The house, Dean. The mortgage! There were four messages on the machine!”

“Oh, that…” 

“Yeah. That, Dean! What are we going to do?” Sam’s hands were waving around.

“’We’ are going to do nothing, Sammy. I got it taken care of.”

“Taken care of? You mean, you have the money?” The disbelief was evident in Sam’s tone.

“Right here.” Dean pulled the cash out of his pocket and waved it in front of his brother’s face.

Sam looked stunned. “How?”

“I told you about the friend of Ash’s.” He saw Sam was about to say something else and cut him off, “Dude. I have it, okay We are just going to have to eat Ramen for a week or so.”

“And what about next month?” 

“Why do you have to worry about next month already?” Dean opened the fridge and look through it. Damn it, all the beer was gone. He recalled the fully stocked fridge at the condo.

“Dean…” Sam’s voice broke his thought.

He slammed the fridge door and stood up. “Never mind. I have a plan for next month too.” 

“Oh, and what is that?”

“I’m…I’m going to sell the Impala.”

Sam blinked. “What? Dean, you can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

“Dean…It was Dad’s car.”

Like he didn’t know. “And now it’s mine. Come on, Sam. Its old, the parts are expensive, and it guzzles gas like crazy. Plus we can’t live in it. Or eat it. The house is our first priority. Dad would do the same thing.”

“Dean…”

“End of conversation, Sam.” Dean turned and walked up the stairs to his room, leaving Sam alone in the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

Cas placed the white and green paper cup on the crowded desk in front of his secretary .

“A white chocolate mocha with whipped cream.”

“For me?!” Becky exclaimed, “Wow, Mr. Milton, thank you so much!”

Becky was not trained specifically as a legal secretary, and was rather young for such a high profile position. But she was extremely efficient, always had a smile on her face, and never complained about the long hours, even if he did catch her occasionally writing fiction stories on her company laptop.

“I appreciate all the hard work you do. What is on the schedule for today?”

Becky took a sip of her coffee and sighed happily. “Well, you have a 10 o’clock with Ms. Case, to discuss her will again.”

Cas grimaced. Gertrude Case was one of the oldest clients the firm had, and she changed her will on a regular basis; cutting out nephews and nieces when they displeased her, adding them back in when she forgave them, changing what various animal related charities got what percentage. It was tedious, but his work was rarely exciting. Tax and Estate law didn’t hold many thrills.

“And the board meeting is this afternoon at two. Oh! And Sam Winchester dropped by and said he wanted to see you for a few minutes.”

Cas paused. Sam Winchester was one of the interns working for the firm. It was an exclusive (and unpaid) opportunity, a chance to work for Milton and Hayes. It looked good on a resume, and a select few interns would get job offers at the end of the year. Sam had worked directly for Cas for three months, and was currently working for Luc, who ran the criminal law section.

“Tell Sam to come by at eleven-thirty. I’d like to take him to lunch and see how he is handling working for Luc.” He smiled.

“Sure thing! I’ll call him right now!” Becky blushed as she reached for her phone.

“Make a reservation for us at Puerini's, please.” With that, Cas went into his office, and settled in.

The morning passed quickly. Ms. Case was thankfully easy to manage. She now wanted to leave a small bequest for a psychic who told her ‘Muffin’, a rather anxious calico if Cas recalled correctly, was safe and happy now. Normally he would discourage her from leaving money to scam artists, but the amount was small enough that he let it pass.

He spent some time writing up the changes. Normally this sort of thing would be left to a paralegal, but Ms. Case had been a client of his father’s, and Cas felt an obligation to do it personally. He looked up at a knock on the door and smiled as Sam Winchester practically charged into the room. He opened his mouth to greet the young man, but Sam quickly cut him off.

“I’m sorry…Mr. Milton, but I just need a moment of your time…I’ve really enjoyed working with you…such a good firm…but I just can’t…” He stopped, appeared to collect himself and went on. “I have to resign my internship. I…have to drop out of the program.”

Oh dear, Cas thought. Had Becky been inappropriate? Or was Luc being intolerable again? The young man in front of him appeared very upset, clenching his fist and running a hand through his hair.

Sam dropped an envelope onto his desk and appeared to be about to leave when Cas stood up.

“Sam, please take a seat and let us discuss this. Has someone at the firm upset you in any way?”

“What? Oh, no, it s no one here, it’s just a…a family thing. I…need to help.”

Well, that was a relief.

“Sam, let me take you to lunch as planned,” He waved his hand dismissively as Sam tried to protest. “Perhaps something can be worked out. But if not, I would at least like to thank you for all the hard work you have done for me. Please.”

Sam hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Okay.”

“Good. We’ll take my car.” Cas herded him out of the office.

Puerini's was an Italian place in a converted, old, two story house, tucked away on a side street. Red curtains hung around all the windows, and the air was always filled with delicious fragrances, basil and oregano in abundance. It was Cas’s favorite restaurant. Once ensconced in a booth in the back, with a good glass of wine in his hand, Sam’s story came pouring out.

“Last winter we had some problems with our roof. It needed to get completely redone, so my brother had to take out a second mortgage on the place.” Sam drummed his fingers on the white table cloth. “It was fine for a while, I guess, but the garage he works at had to cut his hours because the economy is so bad, and we’ve had a bit of trouble making the payments.” Sam’s cheeks grew red as him admitted this, but he rushed on.

“He didn’t tell me about it until recently, or I never would have taken this internship in the first place. It’s just…typical Dean. He thinks he has to shoulder all the work for me.” He took a sip of wine.

“Anyway, we’ve been making partial payments and I thought we had it all worked out, but now, for some reason, the bank is threatening to foreclose. Dean said he could handle it, he was going to sell the car, our dad’s old car, but I just, I can’t let him do it, you know? He has taken care of me since I was 14. I…I just can’t let him do everything alone anymore.”

“He has taken care of you since you were 14?”

“Yeah, my mom died when I was a baby and Dad died of a stroke when I was 14. Dean dropped out of high school, and got a job so I wouldn’t be placed in foster care. He did everything he could. Changed oil in cars during the day and mopped floors at night” Sam raked his fingers through his hair.

“All kinds of odd stuff, construction, bartending. One summer, he even drove an ice cream truck! He was always working 2 jobs, so he could never really put in the extra time and get promoted anywhere. But we held on.”

The waiter interrupted them by setting fresh bread and olive oil at the table. Sam took a piece before he continued. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to go to Stanford, even with a full ride. We were barely breaking even; we couldn’t have afforded the books. Then we got a call from an old Marine Corp buddy of my Dad’s. She’d heard about me and she knew this guy in Palo Alto who had just lost the use of his legs in an accident and was having a hard time. He was willing to let us stay with him in exchange for helping out around the house.”

Sam stared at the table top, his voice rough. “Bobby. He…well, he became like a second father to us. Dean could actually not work all the time, and well, it was like we were a little family again. Bobby would boss us around, make us make his drinks, and call us ‘idjits,’ but he really cared about us too. He died,” Sam swallowed hard, “just after I got into law school and he left us the house. We can’t lose it.”

“I understand,” said Cas.

“Do you? I mean,” Sam wiped at his eyes with his hand, “I haven’t talked about this in years. I am so sorry to unload on you like this, I just want you to understand why I can’t complete the internship…I hate to leave you guys in a lurch.”

Cas sat back, and silently considered. “Sam, what if there was a way to stay in the program?”

“How? I mean…”

“You are probably not aware, but Milton and Hayes keeps a… I supposed you could call it a slush fund, though I dislike the connotation of that term. But we occasionally find it prudent to provide our clients with a short-term, low-interest loan for them to take care of certain business arrangements. I would be happy to offer the same thing to you.”

“Uh,um…I don’t think I could accept--”

“It would not be charity,” Cas cut in. “Just a loan, to get you through this tight spot. Once the internship has been completed, I don’t think you will have a problem paying us back. A man with your intellect and dedication should have his pick of offers. How much do you need?”

Sam hesitated, and then named an amount. Cas was pretty sure Sam was low-balling him and mentally added 15% to it.

“We can have you sign a promissory note after lunch. Now, let’s order, shall we?” He motioned to a waiter, who was lurking in the background. “The saltimbocca is excellent.”

Once back in Cas’s office, he had Sam sit in one of his guest chairs while he gave Becky instructions to type up the note and call one of the people in the office who could notarize documents. As they were waiting, something occurred to Cas.

He asked Sam, “Do you need a cashier’s check?”

“No, a regular one is fine.” Sam still looked a little overwhelmed. “My brother has the money for this month. I think he went to a loan shark.”

Cas raised his eyebrows. He pulled out the proper checkbook from his desk drawer and filled out a check. He handed the check over the desk to Sam.

“This is more than…”

Cas smiled. “I don’t want to hear about your brother getting his legs broken.”

They were interrupted by Becky and the notary, a young paralegal named Andrew. Within minutes, the entire deal was signed and sealed, and they were left alone again.

Sam kept staring at the check in his hand as if it was going to disappear. “I really don’t know what to say--”

Cas cut him off again. “Well, I must be going. We have a board meeting this afternoon.” He stood up.

“Sure, right, well…”

He herded Sam out of this office.

“I am glad you are going to continue with us, Sam,” Cas smiled. “If you decide to join us at the end of the term, we can just count this as your signing bonus.”

He turned away, but not before seeing Sam’s stunned face

_*Two Weeks Later*_

It was a little past 8 pm when Cas heard his office door open. He looked up to see his brother standing there.

“What the hell did you do to my intern?”

Cas raised his eyebrows. “Which of our interns are your referring to?”

Luc waltzed into the office and collapsed into a guest chair. He put his feet up on Cas’s desk and stretched his arms behind his head.

“The tall one with the stupid hair…Wesson… Westchester?”

“Sam Winchester?”

“Yes, that’s it. Well, what did you do to him?”

Cas sat back in his chair and frowned at his brother. “Has he done something wrong?”

“Yes! He already did more work than most of the other interns, but now he’s outrunning the associates too. He’s here more than I am.”

“That would not be hard.”

Luc gave him a look, “Point. Well, he’s here more than Uriel is…He’s almost here as much as you.”

Cas grimaced. “He is a dedicated young man.”

“No, he was dedicated before, but you did this to him, you had lunch with him last Monday and now he’s gunning for ‘Most obedient slave.’ You know, I dumped all the disclosure paperwork for the Walker case on him, and he said ‘Thank you.’ Thank you! What did you do?”

Cas sighed. He should have expected this. “I gave him a loan.”

“A loan? For what? Lunch money?”

Cas explained the situation to Luc, who regarded him with narrowed eyes.

“So a sob story got to you, huh? I never thought you had such a bleeding heart.”

“He is helping out his brother, who needs him.” Cas gave him a pointed look.

Luc winced. “Yeah”

They both fell silent for a long minute. Finally Cas ventured, “Have you heard from him lately?”

“Last week. One of those drunken calls. He was on his way to Copenhagen from Amsterdam, or the other way around.”

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t think he knew.”

Cas sighed and leaned back in his chair. He felt helpless.

After another long moment, Luc got up to leave. When he reached the door, he turned, “You know, you could have just offered to hire him… Winchester, I mean. He’d still be obliged to us, and that way we wouldn’t even have to offer him a signing bonus.”

Cas gave him a dark look. “How remarkably self-interested you are.”

“Always, brother dear.” Luc flashed him a hollow smile and shut the door behind him.

After his brother left, Cas regarded his desk with a frown. It was true he was probably spent more time in the office than most of the firm’s employees.

He looked around the room. Dark paneled wood with floor-to-ceiling bookcases, mostly filled with reference books on tax law. There were no personal items here, no photographs or mementos. His diplomas were impressively framed on the wall behind his desk, but that was all Becky’s doing. There was really nothing of him in this place, and he spent almost all his time here.

He pulled out his cell phone and began scrolling through the names; pausing when he got to the number labeled “Gabriel.” He felt the usual pang of guilt, then shook his head and scrolled further down. When he finally reached the contact labeled “Michael” he stopped, and his thumb hovered over the call icon. He bit his lip. He had thought about it several times in the past week, but had never gotten up the nerve to call. One more night? Could he do it? The thrill of anticipation he felt answered for him. No. He was already too attached, and getting attached to a prostitute would only end in disaster. He should just delete the number and be done with it.

It had been a great weekend, but that’s all it would ever be. He stared at the number again.  
Instead of deleting the contact as he should, he tossed his phone into his bag with more force than was prudent.

Half an hour later, Cas was walking out of the darkened office. He noticed a light on in one of the cubicles. He walked over and found Sam bent over his desk. Cas couldn’t help smiling. “This is a bit excessive, Sam.”

Sam jerked his head up, surprised. “Oh. Hi. Yeah, I, um, missed my bus, so I am just waiting for the next one.”

“Let me give you a ride.”

“Oh, no, really--”

“Come on, Sam. People are starting to think we have you chained to this desk.”

Sam appeared to consider this. “Okay, Thank you.” He slipped some files into his bag, and they headed out.

They walked in silence down to the garage, and Cas led Sam to his car. As they got in, Sam told him the address. “I hope it is not too far out of your way.”

“Not at all.” Cas reversed out of the parking space and headed towards the garage exit, pulling his pass out of the visor.

“Luc has told me you are working very hard.” He rolled down the window and swiped the electronic key. The gate was raised.

“I want to do a good job, after all you have done for me.”

“Sam, you were doing a good job. I never would have made the offer otherwise. Such excesses are not necessary.”

“I know.” Sam visibly stopped himself from thanking him again. Cas decided to change the subject, and asked about the case that Sam was working on with Luc. Sam eagerly gave him all of the details.

“I mean, this Walker guy is a total lunatic. Well, I guess I shouldn’t say that about a client…”

“I think ‘lunatic’ is an appropriate term for Gordon Walker,” Cas agreed. “I was against us taking this case at the beginning, but now I think my brother can prove Walker fully believed he was doing what was right.”

“Oh, he can. He will. He’s a brilliant lawyer. I mean, not that you’re not as well…”

Cas laughed at this compliment. They chatted about various aspects of the case until they got close, and Sam had to give him directions. When they pulled up in front of the house, Cas took a long look, and felt his lips quirk a bit. It was a lovely two story Craftsman bungalow, with a covered porch and huge dormer window. It was set on a quiet street in a good part of town. No wonder the bank was so eager to foreclose. This house would be worth a pretty penny, even in the current market.

The porch light had been left on.

Sam laughed. “My brother has been teasing me, says he feels like a housewife waiting for me to come home at night.”

Cas chuckled. “Does he have dinner waiting?”

“He does, usually.” Sam laughed.

Cas was struck by a thought. “You are coming to the firm’s party next week, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I am looking forward to it. Everyone is talking about how great the last one was.”

“You should bring your brother.”

“What, really?”

“I would like to meet him. You speak so highly of him.”

“That would be great. Though he isn’t really the fancy party type…”

“Neither am I, generally.” Cas smiled ruefully.

“Well, I’ll see what I can do.” Sam returned the smile. “Thank you for the ride.”

The young man got out of the car and headed in, waving when he reached the front porch. Cas took one last look at the warm cozy house before he drove off.


	4. Chapter 4

“You want me to go where?” Dean called from the couch.

“Come on, Dean. My boss asked to meet you,“ Sam came in from the kitchen and placed a beer in front of his brother. Dean snorted and picked it up.

“At a formal party at a freaking country club?”

“It’s semi formal, you just have to wear a suit.”

Dean raised his eyebrows. “Just a suit?”

“I thought you wanted to meet him. He’s the reason we are not living on Ramen.”

Dean had been pretty pissed when Sam told him about the loan. Not that he wasn’t relieved to have the bank off their back, or that he didn’t have to try to make up the difference with a “side job” anymore. He just hated the idea of the Winchesters pleading poverty to anyone. Sam had sworn it was all on the up and up, just a loan until he could get a job, but Dean didn’t trust the charity of strangers. He didn’t like to be dependent on anyone but himself.

“You know this isn’t my kind of thing…”

Sam took a deep breath and played his ace. “It’s an open bar.”

“Open bar?”

“Yeah, and it’s catered. Fancy cream puffs and all that.”

Dean sighed. “You know, I haven’t worn a suit since Bobby’s funeral.”

“You’ll be lucky if it still fits you then.”

“Bitch.”

“Jerk.” Sam walked back into the kitchen.

Dean laughed and sat back with his beer. His phone rang, and he felt a small pang of disappointment when he saw it was just Rufus calling. He shook his head. After confirming with Rufus that he could work on Friday, he ended the call and scrolled down to the contact labeled “Jimmy”. He didn’t know why he had even added the number, but he had. It seemed like Jimmy might call him again. Dean was pretty sure Jimmy had been thinking about it the last time they spoke. But he hadn’t called. Dean reflected that maybe Jimmy already had a boyfriend who was out of town that weekend. Really, why else would a guy that hot and rich need to pay for sex? Jimmy didn’t seem like the cheating type, though.

He tossed his phone down on the table and finished his beer.

***

The party was in full swing by the time they arrived. Dean pulled on his collar. This country club was ridiculous. There were freaking swans wandering around the grounds.

They walked up the steps to the party, Dean frequently glanced behind him and complained, “I swear, Sam, if one of those valets scratches my baby--“

“Come on, Dean.” Sam put a hand on his shoulder and propelled him the rest of the way to the door. The place was even fancier inside. Chandeliers hung from the ceilings. Four musicians playing some jazzy music were set up in a corner. As soon as they walked in, several people called out to Sam. Sam headed over to them with a promise to be right back, leaving him standing there alone and feeling ridiculous. He sighed. This was going to be a long night.

At least Sam hadn’t lied about the open bar. (This party had 4 different bars.) Dean felt slightly more comfortable with a beer in his hand. Sam found him again and forced Dean to endured introduction after introduction, all Sam’s friends and coworkers. He even danced with a few of them. After an hour, he managed to escape from Sam’s supervision. He needed a moment to himself. He hit up a small side bar and found a corner to hide in. All these fancy people in their thousand dollar suits. Dean was willing to bet some of their watches cost more than what he made in two years. He finished his beer. He needed another one.

A group of people near him were loudly talking about the skiing in Tahoe, and Dean was suddenly reminded of Jimmy laughing about breaking his wrist. Jimmy would have fit in perfectly here. He’d be out there, talking about stock tips and vintage wines. Jimmy, who Dean had thought about way too much in the past few weeks. Dean had foolishly pictured him in his house, on his mismatched sheets, eating eggs in his small kitchen. No, Jimmy belonged here, in this world.

He caught sight of Sam surrounded by a bunch of the other interns from the firm. Sam fit right in with these people too. He gripped his empty bottle a bit tighter. Sam had always been destined for greater things. Dean knew it. He just couldn’t help wondering what would happen to him after Sam became one of these people. Where would Dean be? Dean, with dirt under his fingernails and nothing to add to polite conversation…

Dean tried to shake off his train of thought. It would just get him moody, anyway.

“Dean, there you are!” Sam was headed towards him. “I was looking for you. Now I just have to--“

“Hi, Sam!” came a voice from behind them.

Dean caught a slight grimace on Sam’s face before he turned and greeted the young woman behind him. Dean turned as well. It was a pretty brunette, wearing a purple dress.

“You look so nice. Is this a new suit?” She reached up and ran her hand down Sam’s chest.

“Hi Becky.” Sam stepped away from her hand and nudged Dean in front of him. “Let me introduce my brother. This is Dean. Dean, Becky.”

“Oh, it’s so nice to meet you, Dean,” Becky gushed and grabbed his hand. “Sam talks about you all the time.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes. How you supported him all through college and law school. So sweet. You guys must be so close. You must be so proud of him.” She spoke rapidly, still holding his hand, and then she wrapped her other hand around it.

“Um, yeah, sure. Really proud.” He wrenched his hand away and gave Sam a look.

“Becky is Cas’s secretary,” Sam added. “We were actually just looking for him. Do you know where he is?”

“Mr. Milton? Last time I saw him, he was talking to his brother. In the courtyard, over by the fountain.”

“Okay, we better head over there. Thanks, Becky.”

“No problem, Sam. It was nice to meet you, Dean.” She fluttered away.

“Dude.”

“Don’t say anything.” Sam pulled him by the arm. “Let’s just go.”

They walked through the ballroom. Dean couldn’t help saying, “By the fountain? In the courtyard? What kind of place is this? I thought country clubs were just places where people played golf.”

“That’s not true,” Sam responded with a smile and a good natured eye roll. “They have tennis courts and a pool here too.”

Dean laughed and shook his head. They were about to head out the large doors into what Dean presumed was the courtyard.

“Westchester!”

Dean was about to continue out the door, but Sam immediately spun around, almost crashing into him.

“Whoa.” Dean stepped back.

“Westchester!”

They were being approached by a man with dark blond hair. He, like almost everyone else, was wearing an expensive suit, but his tie was just looped around his neck and the first few buttons of his shirt were undone.

“Uh, Mr. Milton. Yes, sir.”

Dean raised his eyebrows. This was Cas?

Sam continued, “Mr. Milton, this is my brother Dean. Dean, this is Luc Milton. I am currently working for him in the criminal law section. ”

Dean extended his hand, but Mr. Luc Milton just took a long swig from the rocks glass in his hand. The guy seemed a little lit.

He nodded at Dean, then said, “Have you seen Ms. Rosen around?”

“Becky?” Sam seemed surprised, “Uh, yeah. She was right over there a minute ago.”

“Thanks.” The man seemed about to move on, then stopped. “You do good work, Westchester.” He clapped Sam on the shoulder and headed across the room.

Sam seemed unable to move for a minute

“Westchester?” Dean asked.

“He said I do good work…”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t he? You practically live at the office. And he doesn’t even know your name!”

“No, Dean, you don’t understand. He never says anything nice to the interns!”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Okay, dude. What say we find the other Mr. Milton now? You can drool over your man-crush and his flowery words later.”

This seemed to snap Sam out of his daze. They headed outside.

“Anyway,” Dean said. “I thought this place was called Milton and Hayes. Not Milton, Milton and Hayes.”

“We’re not some personal injury firm,” Sam said irritably. “Milton and Hayes was founded in 1901 by that guy’s great grandfather and his friend. It’s one of the most respected firms in the city. Right now the 4 major partners are the 3 Milton brothers and Zachariah Hayes, though he doesn’t do much anymore but schmooze high profile clients and play golf.”

Once in the courtyard, Sam zeroed in on a dark-haired man with his back to them, talking to a pretty blond woman in a strapless evening dress.

They hung back, not wanting to interrupt. As the young lady left, Sam swung around to the other man’s side, placing a hand tentatively on the other man’s shoulder.

“Mr. Milton--Cas, I wanted to introduce you to my brother.” He gestured to Dean.

“Mmnn.” Cas nodded, his champagne glass still to his lips, He turned, one hand already beginning to be extended, and froze.

Dean felt all the blood drain from his face. The guy turning to greet him, Sam’s boss, the guy that had given them the great loan…It was Jimmy. Jimmy was standing there in an expensive suit, holding out a hand to shake Dean’s.

It was like time stopped. They stared at each other. Sam was still talking, but Dean only heard the words distantly. “Know you wanted to meet him…Thank you again for…great to work…a great party…even better than they said…”Small flags of color had appeared on the other man’s cheeks.

Bizarrely, a dog had started to bark in the background, managing to jolt Dean out of his shock.

Sam was distracted too, turning around then exclaiming “What the--Oh God.” He groaned, “Ms. Case brought her Chihuahua!”

“Trixiebelle, I believe,” Jimmy confirmed solemnly.

Sam turned back around. They were all silent for a moment, then Jimmy - no Cas, Cas recollected himself and raised his hand to Dean again and said “It’s very nice to meet you…Dean.” He eyes were glued to Dean’s face

The subtle emphasis on his name spurred Dean into action. He returned the handshake, “Thanks…Cas.”

Silence threatened to overtake them again. Sam began talking about the party again, but Dean didn’t pay any attention. A waiter passed them with a tray of glasses. Dean grabbed a flute of champagne and downed it all in one go.

“Dean--” Sam began disapprovingly.

“You must excuse me,” Cas said suddenly. “I have something to attend to.” With that, he nodded at Sam and walked quickly away.

“Wow, that was weird. He is usually more genial than that. He is a really great guy.” Sam seemed intent on apologizing to Dean about his boss’s strange behavior. This was too much.

Dean’s brain, which had stalled in Cas’s presence, was now racing. He turned to Sam. “Well, I met your boss, so I might as well take off.”

“Dean--“ Sam tried to stop him.

Dean pulled out the valet ticket and handed it to Sam. “You can take her, hit up the yuppie bars or after-party with your intern friends. I can get a cab home.”

“Dean, are you sure?”

“It’s your night, Sammy. Go have some fun.” He affected a stern face. “Don’t drive her drunk.”

“You know I wouldn’t. Are you sure?”

“Yeah, go.”

“Thanks, Dean. Thanks for coming, too. It means a lot. I am sorry Cas was in a weird mood. He probably had something else on his mind.”

Sam headed back inside.

Dean sat on the corner of the fountain and put his head in his hands. He took a few deep breaths, then got up and headed towards the bar that was set up in the courtyard. He needed another drink.

The bartender, a pretty redhead, happily gave him a shot of Jack with his beer. Dean downed them both, and thought about his next move. He needed to talk to Jim…Cas, clearly.

He took a look around. There were plenty of people still lingering, even though it was getting late. He didn’t see Cas, but thought he could find where he would end up. He headed out to the parking lot.

***

An hour later, Dean was still lurking in the parking lot when he finally saw a familiar face heading towards him. He took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the car.

“Hey,” he said, and watched the other man jerk in surprise and drop his keys.

“My god,” Castiel exclaimed. “What are you doing out here?”

“I remembered your car and I needed to ask you--”

“You remembered my car?”

“Like I’d forget an Audi A8.”

Cas stared at his car like he’d never seen it before. “Oh, I see.”

Dean decided just to go right into it. “Look, please don’t tell Sam. I’ll…I’ll do anything.” He felt his face heat up as he remembered the first time he said those words to Cas. “Just…don’t tell Sam.”

Cas hesitated. Dean could hear the faint noise from the party still going on, laughter and voices drifted out over them.

“Do you have a car here?” Cas asked suddenly.

“Uh, no. I let Sam take it.”

“Get a drink with me.” It was not phrased as a request.

Cas retrieved his keys from the ground and unlocked the doors. Dean got in the car without a word. Cas drove them to a small bar nearby. It was not a fancy place, and not crowded. They sat in a secluded booth near the back.

They gave their orders to the waitress, and Cas seemed to be about to say something, but Dean hurriedly said, “Please don’t tell Sam about us. About…” Dean waved his hand, “You know. He doesn’t need to know. I was only doing it--“

“To keep your house from going into foreclosure,” Cas finished for him.

“Yeah. I guess you know.”

Their drinks were delivered. He took a sip of his Martini. Dean remembered him drinking a Martini that night in the Jacuzzi. He pictured them naked together in that giant bed. Dean felt a sharp pang of longing overtake him. That had been such a good night. He had been happy. He wanted to feel like he did then. Now he was sitting across from the same man, but was twisted with anxiety.

“I am not going to tell Sam anything, so please don’t worry about that. I would like to know more about your situation though, in your own words. Can you tell me?” Cas asked.

Dean considered. He didn’t how much Sam had told Cas, so lying was risky. Also, for some reason, he didn’t want to lie. He normally hated sharing this with anyone, but Cas was looking at him so intently, his blue eyes unreadable. Maybe if Dean could make him understand…He took a deep breath.

“It was all fine, then my hours were getting cut at the garage. But Sam was finally done with law school, so I figured he would get a job in no time.” He picked at the label on his bottle. “But then he came home all excited about this internship. Great opportunity, he said, so exclusive. I just didn’t have the heart to tell him I needed the money.” He took a swig of his beer and rushed on. “You have to understand, he’s always been so good. I know how smart he is, what opportunities he could have had. I couldn’t drag him down again, just like I did back when he was in high school and he couldn’t join the soccer team because we couldn’t afford the uniform.”

“That’s hardly the same thing,” Cas interjected.

“But still…” Dean lowered his voice. “It wasn’t like that was the first time I’d...” Dean stopped. He didn’t know why, but he felt compelled to make Cas understand. “Back in Kansas, I’d done it. Just when we needed the money. Usually in winter, when the heating bills got too high.” A truck stop on route 70, where truckers would be willing to part with 20 bucks for a blow job, when he couldn’t hustle enough at pool. It had been worth it, he told himself again. He hadn’t dared do it too often. If he’d ever gotten busted, Sam would have gone to foster care, and he couldn’t risk that.

“I hadn’t done it in years, not since we got to California. Bobby would have…” He sat back in his seat, and smiled slightly. “Bobby would have broken my legs. The only reason I knew about that place I met you was because Caleb’s cousin used to bartend there. That night was the first time I went there for that.”

Dean didn’t know why he felt the need to make this so clear to Cas. But he did.

“That weekend--” he started.

Cas downed his Martini. “Another round,” he called to the waitress.

Dean stopped talking. Cas apparently didn’t want to talk about that weekend. He ignored the slight pang that gave him. They sat in silence until their new drinks had been brought.

Cas took another drink, then turned to Dean. “Everything you did, you did for your brother?” It seemed more a statement than a question.

“Well,” Dean began. “It’s my house too--“

“But,” Cas continued. “You dropped out of school, you moved to California, you sold yourself, all for Sam’s future, his happiness.”

Dean gave a half-shrug and looked away. “He’s my brother.”

Cas looked at him for what seemed like a long time, “Yes.” He finally said. He downed the rest of his drink.

“Are you ready?”

“Uh, Sure”

Cas threw some bills down on the table, then headed out to his car. Dean followed.

Most of the ride took place in silence. Dean didn’t know what to say. He felt embarrassed about what he had said, but somehow, he wanted to say more. He stared at Cas’s profile. What should he do? Insanely, he thought about inviting Cas in, then nearly smacked himself for even thinking it. As the car turned onto his street, Dean said, “Thanks for the ride, Cas. And for…You know.”

Cas looked at him. “Thank you, Dean.”

Dean wondered if he could say something else. Cas stopped the car in front of the house and immediately pulled out his phone and dialed it. Dean felt summarily dismissed. He opened the door and got out, but he caught the beginning of the conversation.

“Becky? Are you at home? … Good, I need you do something for me…”

Dean shut the door, and watched the car drive off into the night.

***

“So then Luc asked Walker ‘And why did you attack Ms. Flint?’ And then the prosecution objected….”

Dean patiently loaded the dishwasher as he listened to Sam ramble on about the latest case he had been working on. Sam had been sitting at the small kitchen table for some time, going on and on about Luc Milton’s apparent brilliance and Dean had been suppressing the question he wanted to ask.

“It was a cunning move. He is such a genius when it comes to cross. Everyone in the courtroom was stunned.”

Dean added the soap and closed the door with a bang, “So, what did Castiel think about this?”

Dean felt strange saying Cas’s name. He had never said it out loud before, even though he had been thinking about the guy way too much. Since the party, he had been waiting for Sam to mention him again, so he could figure out if Cas had said anything about meeting him. But Sam hadn’t said a word.

“Castiel?” Sam asked, confused. “Oh, he wasn’t there. He doesn’t usually come to court.”

“Oh, no?” Dean twisted the dishwasher knob vigorously.

“He isn’t even in the country right now. He left right after the party two weeks ago.”

“Not in the country?” Dean wasn’t sure why this surprised him. It wasn’t like they made small talk the last time they spoke, or talked about future plans. He mentally kicked himself. He had been obsessing on a guy who was probably living it up on vacation. Then the rest of Sam’s words sunk in. “Wait, he left right after the party and went on vacation?”

“I guess. But it wasn’t planned. He was just gone. We had to scramble to cover his appointments.” Sam got up and pulled the milk out of the fridge. “I actually had to meet with Ms. Case - remember that old lady with the dog from the party? I had to meet with her by myself. It was great that they trusted me to do that, but she was a bit…handsy.” The face Sam made was pretty funny, and normally Dean would have teased him about it, but he was still stuck on Cas.

“So he just left?”

Sam poured himself a glass and put the milk away. “Yeah, Becky said he went to Europe. Of course, he is entitled to it. She said he hasn’t taken any time off in two years. He totally deserves it.”

Dean had nothing to say to this. He wiped out the sink. He felt suddenly, unaccountably pissed off. Cas had made him pour his heart out that night, and then went haring off to Europe? He had acted like he cared, and then left Dean standing alone on the sidewalk. He was probably out living it up right now.

Maybe Cas was pissed when he found out his little weekend sex toy was someone he might see again, someone with a smart brother and a mortgage and all that crap, so he decided to go to Europe to pick up someone this time. No chance of seeing one of those guys again. Dean didn’t know what was making him angrier, thinking of how Cas had left him or the image of Cas screwing some foreign guy, drinking and laughing with someone else . He threw the sponge back in the sink with force and headed to the fridge. He needed a beer.

“You okay?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, just a headache.”

“An aspirin might be a better choice than that.” Sam gave his beer a pointed look.

Dean rolled his eyes.

Sam stood up. “Come on, let’s watch some TV. I’ll even refrain from commenting on Dr. Sexy for you.”

Dean smiled at his brother. Sam was always good at getting him out of his sulks. “Okay, sure.” He followed Sam into the living room.


	5. Chapter 5

Both men watched the small sailboat slowly make its way into one of Copenhagen’s canals. It was manned by a small family - man, woman and a young girl, all talking and laughing. The little girl continued to chatter as her parents gathered their things, and hitched the small boat to the dock.

Cas turned to Gabriel, watching him closely as the other man filled up their wineglasses. There was a lingering sadness still present in the Gabriel’s face, but none of the bitterness Cas was used to. 

“To tell you the truth,” Gabriel said. “I think I have been going through the motions for a while.” He sighed. “The anger just isn’t there anymore, and that almost hurts more than anything. What kind of person gets over something like this? It’s almost like losing them all over again.”

He took a gulp of wine.

“Why shouldn’t I be able to mourn her rest of my life? Even if that wasn’t what she would want? It’s what I want, damn it.”

“Her wishes always took priority over yours.” Cas smiled.

Gabriel gave him a wry grimace. “I guess so.”

For a while neither spoke. They just watched the gathering dusk and sipped their wine. They had been sitting at this café for over two hours, but the manager was not going to hurry away two men who had ordered his most expensive bottle of wine. The small family walked away down the canal, the little girl holding both her parents’ hands and swinging between them. People bustled to and fro, their chattering voices filling up the warm night.

Gabriel turned to him. “Could you eat? I think I could eat.”

“I could eat.” Cas agreed. “Do you want to eat here?”

Gabriel motioned for their check. “Nah, there’s a place up near Tivoli I want to try.”

They paid their bill and got up, walking silently together through the streets of the old city. The nightlife was already staring up around them. Street musicians were playing, young people laughing. Cas (not for the first time this week) suddenly pictured Dean here with him, walking over the cobbled streets. Dean was so quintessentially American, and Cas wanted to know what he would think of this old European city. Would he be amused or appalled by the scores of people travelling around on bicycles? Cas was struck by the sudden thought that he’d like to bring Dean here someday, walk through the King’s Garden with their fingers intertwined, have brunch at Granola. Maybe Dean would enjoy the Carlsberg Brewery…

“Okay, you’re doing it again.” Gabriel’s voice broke him out of his reverie.

“What am I doing?”

“Smiling to yourself. You never do that.”

“Can’t I just be happy?”

Gabriel raised his eyebrows.

Cas wrapped his arm around the other man’s shoulder. “I am. I am happy to be here with my brother.” 

Gabriel swallowed hard. “I’m happy you’re here too.” His voice was rough. He wrapped his arm around Cas as well, in a one-armed hug. “But that’s not why you were smiling.”

They had reached Tivoli Gardens. The carousel was spinning merrily, and screams echoed from the roller coasters that dashed around on their tracks. The scent of popcorn and cotton candy floated through the air. People crowded around them and there was no more opportunity to talk. 

Cas followed Gabriel until they reached the restaurant. They sat and discussed the menu, what they could make out from their limited knowledge, then asked the waiter for help. Once they had successfully ordered and a new bottle of wine was placed in front of them, Gabriel turned back to Cas.

“Well, now it’s your turn.”

“What?”

“Not that I am complaining that you came here to drag me out of my self-imposed misery, but what made you decide to come now?”

Cas sat for a moment and stared at the candle in the center of the table. He looked back up. “I haven’t been a good brother—“

“That’s not true,” Gabriel interrupted.

Cas held up a hand. “Let me finish. I have been sitting back in California and worrying about you for months. Luc too, but I… we never did anything. Not really. And I met someone recently who has done, well, many things, all to protect his brother. This person has no money, no real resources, and yet…Well, he has done more than we ever have. So I thought I at least had to try.” 

“So you like this guy?” 

Trust Gabriel to pick that out of his whole disjointed confession.

“I admire him greatly.”

“No, Cassie,” Gabriel said, reverting to the hated childhood nickname. “You like this guy. Like, like.”

The teasing tone in his brother’s voice warmed Cas more than he could say. “Maybe.”

“Am I going to get to meet him?”

Cas sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“Oh, don’t give me that crap. This guy inspired you to fly halfway across the world and drag your degenerate brother back home, but you can’t introduce him to your dysfunctional family? You’re not embarrassed by us, are you?” He waggled his eyebrows.

Cas leaned forward suddenly at these last words. “Do you mean that?”

“What, about you being embarrassed by--?“

“About coming home?“

Gabriel smiled. “Yeah. I think it’s time. And Cas, you are a good brother.” He leaned forward, and rested his chin on his hand. “Really, you coming here means… a lot. Please, never doubt that. I’m coming home with you.” He leaned back in his chair and glanced around them. “I am not going back to that house, though.”

“Actually…” Cas hesitated. “Luc already sold it.”

Gabriel burst out laughing. “Of course he did. Bastard.”

Cas joined in the laughter.

“I still want to meet this guy, Cassie.”

“We’ll see.” 

***

The next Friday, Cas rang the Winchesters' doorbell. As he waited, he looked around. The porch had recently been painted, and the smell of fresh cut grass mixed with cool fall air. A group of children were playing catch just up the street, and their yells and screams mixing with the sound of nearby traffic and lawnmowers. 

The door opened a minute later. Dean stood in front of him, wearing jeans and a well-worn flannel shirt. Surprise flashed across his features for a moment, and his face suddenly darkened. Cas felt his stomach twist. That was not the reaction he had been hoping for. 

“Don’t tell me they have you making deliveries now. Didn’t they tell you there was illness here?” Dean’s voice was hard.

“I didn’t see any red paint on the door, so I thought I would risk it.” They stood there for a long moment, before Cas was forced to ask, “May I come in? I have some business to discuss with Sam.”

Dean leaned forward and closed the door a bit more behind him. “Look,” he bit out, his voice low. “If you’ve decided to tell Sam about…whatever, I should tell you--“

Cas was stunned. “I already said that I wouldn’t tell him. Why would you think--?

“Dean?” a voice called from inside. “Who was it?”

Dean held Cas’s eyes for another long moment, but then leaned back and let him into the house. “Looks like you have company, Sam.”

Cas walked into the living room. It was small, cozy place. Sam was seated on a worn-looking couch, in a pair of ratty sweats and a Stanford tee shirt that looked like he had seen better days. There were tissue boxes scattered about the room, and a mug of tea was on the table beside Sam’s laptop. 

Sam snapped to his feet. “Mr. Milton. I mean, Cas. I wasn’t expecting you to drop by.”

“How are you feeling, Sam?”

“Better, almost back to normal. I should be in the office Monday.”

“That’s good to hear. Everyone has been missing you.”

“Please have a seat.” Sam gestured to a chair opposite the coffee table. 

Cas sat in the faded armchair and set his briefcase on the floor. “I brought some of the files you requested.” Dean was leaning against the doorframe, watching them both.

“Thanks. I didn’t mean for you to come all this way--“

“Well, I also have a special delivery.” Cas pulled an envelope out of his breast pocket and handed it to Sam. As Sam opened it, Cas went on. ”This is our official offer for you to join Milton and Hayes as a junior associate.”

“Oh, my god,” Sam exclaimed. “This is incredible.” His face lit up. Cas couldn’t help smiling at it. He glanced back at Dean, still standing in the doorway. Dean was looking at Sam with such an open expression on his face, full of affection and pride. Dean turned towards Cas and their eyes met again. Cas was relieved that the hardness was gone from his eyes.

Sam had flipped through the pages and had picked up a pen from the coffee table, but Cas stopped him.

“Do not sign it now,” he said firmly, sitting forward and raising his index finger. “I don’t want to be accused of taking advantage of your weak physical state.” He leaned back. "As you can see, it is not required to be turned in until the end of the month. I would encourage you to wait till then, perhaps even to go out on some interviews. I want you to see it is a competitive offer.”

Dean crossed the room and slapped Sam on the back. A bit hard, since the other man’s wince was noticeable. “Congratulations, Sammy! This sounds like a cause for celebration.” He then turned to Cas almost shyly. “Can I get you something to drink, Cas? We don’t have any of the stuff for a Martini, but a beer, maybe?”

Cas smiled at him. “A beer would be fine.”

Dean disappeared into the kitchen.

Sam had reopened the letter and appeared to be reading it again. He swallowed hard. “This is so great. I told you how Dean has been shouldering all the expenses for a while. I want to take care of him for a while,” he said quietly. 

You and I both, thought Cas. “I would be very happy if you took the position--“ 

Dean returned. “Two beers and an orange juice for the invalid.” He set a glass down in front of Sam and handed Cas his beer.

“Thanks Dean.” Sam gave him a puzzled look. “Hey, how did you know Cas liked Martinis?”

“Huh?” Dean froze for a moment.

“I must have mentioned it,” Cas jumped in, “At the party…”

“Oh yeah, at the party.” Dean looked relieved.

“I didn’t think you guys talked at the party,” Sam looked more confused than suspicious. “I remember Ms. Case’s dog got loose and one of those swans was chasing it--”

“It was after the party,” Cas cut in helpfully.

“Yeah.” Dean had apparently decided a half truth was better. “I was waiting for a cab, and Cas offered to give me a ride home.”

“He did?” Sam looked surprised. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“I didn’t?”

“No, Dean, you didn’t.”

“It wasn’t any trouble,” Cas added. “I was happy to do it.”

Dean showed some experience in distracting his younger brother. “Yeah, we mostly talked about you. I told him all about the time you broke your arm over at Campbell’s pond.”

“Dean, I was nine!” Sam’s tone was clearly irritated. 

Cas laughed. “Anyway, I believe we were celebrating.” He raised his bottle. “Here’s to Milton and Hayes’s newest junior associate. If he’s not wooed away by another firm.”

Dean raised his bottle as well. “Here’s to you, Sammy.”

“Here’s to us,” Sam corrected and clinked his juice glass against his brother’s bottle. 

Cas wound up spending the rest of the evening in the cozy Winchester house. He chatted with Sam about the current cases, what work he would be doing when (“if,” Cas said firmly) Sam joined the firm. 

He tried to pull Dean into the conversation a few times, but Dean didn’t seem to be paying attention. He never left the room, though. Cas wished he knew what the other man was thinking. He still didn’t understand why Dean had thought he had come to the house to expose him.

When Sam asked about his time in Europe, Dean got up suddenly and walked across the room. Cas’s heart sank. Was Dean leaving? If he did, Cas might not be able to convince him his earlier assumptions were wrong. He forced himself to answer Sam. “I had a very good time in Europe. It was good to spend time with my brother.”

Dean had reached the door, but with this, he turned around. “Your brother?”

“My brother, Gabriel, yes. I had had a conversation that made me realize just how much I missed him, so I decided to go.” He smiled ruefully at himself. “It was not like me at all, but I think I have become more spontaneous as of late.” He met Dean’s eyes and for a brief second felt something flicker between them.

Much warmed by this, he turned to Sam again.”I owe you for helping cover my appointments. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.” 

Sam went on about how it was no problem at all. Cas didn’t really hear though, since all of his attention was on the fact that Dean had turned around and returned to his seat. 

Dean looked at Cas. “So Europe, huh?”

Cas felt thrill of hope that Dean was rejoining the conversation. He began to relate his and Gabriel’s various exploits in Europe. Luckily, they had had some entertaining experiences in between their heartfelt talks.

“Gabriel talked me into visiting Helsinki before we came home, and while we were there, we decided to go to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. A beautiful medieval city. Well, for reason that escapes me now, we decided to take a ferry across the Gulf of Finland. We picked the wrong day for the crossing.”

His description of his and Gabriel’s seasickness had both men in stitches.

“That sounds like a great trip,” Sam said, once he had got himself under control. “So your brother is living in Europe?”

“Yes, he’s been there for a while.” Cas sobered. “He was also at the firm, but his wife died, and afterwards, he just…left for a while.”

“Oh, God,” Sam said, “That’s awful.”

“Yes.” Cas hesitated for a moment, then went on. “He and his wife were college sweethearts. Madly in love for so long. She was on her way home from a doctor’s office, she had just found out she was pregnant, when, well…” Cas took a gulp of his beer. It was his second, or third? “She was going through an intersection in San Francisco, and another car was coming down the hill, its brakes failed. The driver blasting the horn, but my sister-in-law didn’t hear it. She was on her phone…” He trailed off, then collected himself and cleared his throat. 

“The other car’s brakes were defective. Luc sued the brake company; they settled. But Gabriel was just…gone. I’m sorry.” He said suddenly. “I’ve never really talked about it to anyone.” 

He looked up. Sam made a sympathetic noise from across the room, but Cas’s attention was on Dean. Dean leaned forward in his seat and said “Hey, man, it’s okay.”Those green eyes were boring into him, and it was all Cas could do not to pull him into his arms. He wanted to tell Dean how his devotion to his brother had inspired him, but he couldn’t. Not now, not in front of Sam. He pulled back. 

Something flickered in Dean’s eyes. He stood up. “Well,” he said brusquely. “Let’s put on the game.” 

Sam rolled his eyes. “Dean doesn’t like emotional conversations” he told Cas conspiratorially.

Dean muttered under his breath as he fiddled with the television set.

Sam went on: “So, is your brother coming back to the firm?”

“I believe he is,” Cas said. “He is not going to take much of a case load at first, but he should be back within the month.”

“That’s great.” Sam smiled. “I’d like to meet him.” 

“Me too,” Dean added. “Anyone who shouts ‘We’re all going to die!’ on a crowded ferry is worth knowing in my book.” 

Sam and Cas laughed. “That can be arranged.” Cas said. Cas tried to ignore the warmth spreading through him at Dean’s words. 

Dean found a football game on the television. And they all turned their attention to the game. 

After a half hour, Cas noticed Sam began yawning frequently.

He stood. “I am sorry, I must be keeping you up, Sam.” 

Sam protested, but was unable to keep from yawning again. 

“Thank you, both, for a very enjoyable evening.” Cas went to gather his briefcase.

“You don’t have to run off, Cas,” Dean said. “I mean…” He hesitated. “The game’s only half over, and I…I wouldn’t mind some company. And we have plenty of beer.”

Cas felt his heart leap his heart leap at the invitation. He noticed the red in Dean cheeks. “I don’t want to impose.”

“No, Cas, please stay,” Sam protested.

Cas turned to the TV. “Well, I would like to see if…” He squinted at the TV screen. “UMiss wins.”

Sam yawned again. “Great! You can keep Dean from drinking all the beer. I think I am going to go to bed, though, if you guys don’t mind.” 

Sam shook Cas’s hand and promised to see him on Monday, then headed up the stairs.

Cas and Dean sat side by side on the couch for a long time, neither saying anything that wasn’t related to the game. Cas silently wondered how he could not be paying attention to the game and yet making small talk about it at the same time. Finally, when the game entered the final quarter, he realized he was running out of time and screwed up his courage. “Dean--“

“Yeah,” Dean answered immediately, turning to face him.

“Would you like to have dinner tomorrow?” He ran a hand through his hair and went on quickly. ”Please bear in mind, I am asking this purely as a social occasion with no expectation or…payments implied.” He winced at his own awkward wording. “Do you know what I mean?”

“You’re asking me on a date,” Dean said simply.

“Yes, a date! I mean, a real date.”

“Sure,” Dean said. 

“Really?”

“Sure,” Dean repeated, smiling. His mouth twisted for a moment. “Cas, do you think we can start over? I mean, forget about how we met and everything.”

“Dean,” Cas replied. “All I know about is that you were a man in horrible circumstances, devoted to his brother. I will never forget that about you.” He reached over and placed a hand on Dean’s knee.

Dean grimaced. “Don’t romanticize me, Cas,” he warned.

Cas laughed. “Okay. I can’t promise that we can start over cleanly, but I really, really want to try. Would you like to try with me?” And then, without waiting for an answer, he leaned over and pressed his lips to Dean’s.

When they pulled apart, Dean looked a bit dazed. “Yeah,” he said. “I can do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Whew! Finally Dean and Cas are on the same page! Thank you so much to everyone who commented. Though the main arc is complete, I may have some additional entries in this universe (Dean and Cas's "first date," Sam's eventual discovery Dean is dating his boss, Dean's inevitable freakout when he realizes he is dating a millionaire, etc.) Please let me know if there is one you would really like...Thanks again for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Spacebabe for her great beta work.
> 
> This story was originally posted on LiveJournal.


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